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Home / New Zealand

'I just murdered sum1'

Jared Savage
By Jared Savage
Investigative Journalist·Herald on Sunday·
17 May, 2008 05:00 PM4 mins to read

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KEY POINTS:

The teenager accused of stabbing Auckland schoolboy Augustine Borrell after a party wrote about murdering someone in a text message a few hours later, a court has heard.

Haiden Mark Davis, 19, was committed to trial for the murder of the 17-year-old after his lawyer Ron Mansfield conceded
at a depositions hearing that there was a case to answer.

According to court documents, Davis admitted stabbing Borrell with a kitchen knife but said it was an accident. The police summary of facts also revealed he sent texts to an acquaintance within hours of Borrell's death in Herne Bay early last September 9.

Police alleged that one said: "Stop it I just murdered sum1, larf bitch, u dnt even knw wat went down beta, u shud knw beta... late."

The documents allege that Davis, writing as "BeSoner", also apologised on the Bebo social networking site two days later: "I am real sory 4 tha incident ova Augustine an want u 2 know I had no intensions wat so ever 2 do so, an im not that kind of person an kuld neva du that 2 sum1 especially 2 sumwun i don't know an if u havnt heard iv handed maself in, and im real sorry, i didn't know wat hapend that nite. rip augustine."

Crown prosecutor Ross Burns submitted the messages as evidence last week at North Shore District Court.

The court documents said Davis and Borrell crossed paths after a teen party in Herne Bay was closed down. Police said Davis was earlier at another gathering on London St where he took a black-handled kitchen knife and assaulted another teenage partygoer.

They said David Moynahan walked on to the deck, where he spoke to several people who he had met before, including Davis. Police said while introductions were being made Moynahan felt a blow to the back of his head and neck, then a flurry of kicks and punches as he fell. They alleged Davis dragged Moynahan off the deck and on to a grass area near the road, then told him to leave. Moynahan went to Auckland Hospital where he was treated for a deep cut to the back of his skull.

Police said that in an interview, Davis admitted punching Moynahan in the head. They said that shortly after that he took a taxi to a nearby BP service station opposite the corner of Jervois and Hamilton Rds.

CCTV footage showed Davis was there at 1.18am on September 9 before gatecrashing a party at 16 Hamilton Rd, a house owned by Russell McVeigh lawyer Jeff Morrison and his wife Noelene, who were in Europe.

Borrell, a keen boxer and rugby player, was invited, but as unwanted guests alerted through text messages turned up, the party was shut down.

Police said Borrell left with friends and walked up the hill towards the service station. At the intersection of Jervois and Hamilton Rds, a fight broke out between several teenagers, including Borrell and an associate of Davis.

Police said Davis walked over to the scuffle, removed the knife from his back pocket and lunged at Borrell. The knife penetrated his chest, fatally wounding him. Davis and his friend fled, leaving Borrell to collapse and die on the street, said police.

A post-mortem examination found the single stab wound penetrated his heart, causing massive internal haemohorraging.

Two days later, Davis walked into the Auckland Central police station with Mansfield. While he declined to be interviewed on tape, he admitted stabbing Borrell - but said it was an accident, police said.

Davis has been in custody since his arrest and has pleaded not guilty to murder and the assault on Moynahan.

Mansfield has applied for him to be bailed to his grandparents' home where he would be monitored with an electronic anklet.

Mansfield told the court Davis had a "substantive defence", was "very remorseful" and wanted to change his pattern of behaviour. A date has yet to be set for his trial at the High Court at Auckland.

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